Blue White Illustrated

that he was thinking about leaving the team. In January, Dukes followed through. Also, freshman linebacker Brennan Franklin left Penn State for personal reasons after only a semester on campus. Franklin, who is from Peoria, Ariz., made headlines last July when he committed to the Nittany Lions shortly after they had been hammered by the NCAA. He had received only one other scholarship offer at the time of his commitment ��� from Toledo ��� and wasn���t expected to play a major role this fall with Glenn Carson back in the middle. But while there have been a few personnel losses, the big news is who the Nittany Lions haven���t lost. The socalled Supa Six? They���re all still here. There were concerns heading into the off-season that the Lions would have trouble holding onto those players ��� Robinson, Smith, Amos, Carter, defensive end Deion Barnes and tailback Bill Belton ��� after the NCAA waived its transfer restrictions following the imposition of harsh sanctions last summer. Much of the speculation was focused on Belton, who carried only once in the final four games of the season. Those players are still eligible to leave, as the NCAA���s transfer waiver doesn���t expire until the start of preseason practice in August. But Robinson said he isn���t going anywhere, and he expects everyone else to return, as well. Top position battles of the spring QUARTERBACK This position is the key element in the complex offense that Bill O���Brien has instituted at Penn State. For the offense to perform as it did last fall, O���Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher will need to find their man and get him coached up. Steven Bench PHIL���S FIVE has the advantage of being a returning player, but he played in only two games last year, completing 2 of 8 passes for 12 yards. As spring practice gets under way, this looks to be a dead heat between Bench and juco transfer Tyler Ferguson. Run-ons D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple will also get some snaps, but if anybody is going to join Bench and Ferguson in the race for the starting spot, it���s going to be freshman Christian Hackenberg, who is set to arrive in June. RIGHT OFFENSIVE TACKLE The outlook at this position changed dramatically when senior Garry Gilliam was moved from tight end to offensive tackle in January. Gilliam, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining after receiving a sixth year from the NCAA, has already added 20 pounds and weighed about 300 pounds at the start of spring practice. He will battle fifth-year seniors Adam Gress and Eric Shrive for the starting spot. THREE-TECHNIQUE DEFENSIVE TACKLE With the departure of All-Big Ten defensive tackle Jordan Hill, the battle between redshirt junior Kyle Baublitz and redshirt freshman Austin Johnson will have big implications for the defense as a whole. Baublitz has reportedly bulked up to over 290 pounds, and Johnson has caught O���Brien���s eye. ���I really think he���s got a great future for us,��� the coach said. Senior offensive tackle 4 When will Penn State start to feel the effects of the NCAA���s scholarship reduction? It���s happening already. The most burdensome aspects of the sanctions won���t hit until next season, when the Nittany Lions have to pare their roster down to 65 scholarship players, but they can���t do that all at once. To meet the NCAA���s cap, they have to cut back through attrition ��� a process that got under way when they bid farewell to 31 seniors from last year while signing only 12 freshmen who count against this year���s scholarship total. O���Brien said recently that there were 93 players on the roster this winter. Of those, about 70 were scholarship players. That group included two run- Nate Cadogan may get a tryout at DT this spring, and redshirt freshmen Derek Dowrey and Brian Gaia could also be in the mix. CENTER Redshirt sophomore Angelo Mangiro, fifth-year senior Ty Howle and redshirt freshman Wendy Laurent are vying to replace All-Big Ten center Matt Stankiewitch. It appears the coaching staff would like to see Mangiro and Laurent battle it out here, with Howle challenging redshirt junior Miles Dieffenbach for the starting left guard spot. SAM OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Redshirt freshman Nyeem Wartman and redshirt sophomore Ben Kline will face a difficult task as they vie to replace Michael Mauti. Making the task even more challenging, Kline had surgery in January after suffering a series of stingers during the 2012 season. He was still was wearing a sling in early February. Redshirt freshman Gary Wooten could also be a factor here. ��� PHIL GROSZ

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